Thunderbolt trademark rights will be transferred from Apple to Intel

Though Apple originally filed for ownership of the "Thunderbolt" trademark associated with its new high-speed data port, the rights will be transferred to Intel, the company with which it cooperatively developed the new standard.

Intel said that though Apple filed for the original trademark, the Mac maker is currently in the process of transferring the rights to chipmaker Intel, according to Bright Side of News. The report also noted that Apple "will continue to have unrestricted use of the technology."

"As part of our collaboration with Apple, they did some of the initial trademark filings," Intel Senior Communications Manager Dave Salvator reportedly said. "Intel has full rights to the Thunderbolt trademark now and into the future. The Thunderbolt name will be used going forward on all platforms, irrespective of operating system."

The news comes as PC maker Sony has revealed plans to adopt Thunderbolt technology, but with a standard USB connector instead of the DisplayPort connector utilized by Apple. The report noted that it's likely that Sony's utilization could be rebranded, much as its version of FireWire became dubbed i.LINK.

Earlier this week, it was revealed that it was Apple who filed for the trademark associated with Thunderbolt high-speed input/output technology. The filing took place in both U.S. and Canadian trademark offices, and made no mention of Intel.

Intel originally codenamed the technology "Light Peak, but decided on the Thunderbolt moniker during the development process. Apple contributed to the development by including the mini DisplayPort standard and an "electrical solution" that changed the original optical cables to copper to provide power.

Apple introduced Thunderbolt in its refreshed lineup of MacBook Pros earlier this year. And earlier this month, Thunderbolt also came to Apple's new iMacs.

While Apple is expected to quickly bring Thunderbolt technology to the rest of its Mac lineup, and Sony plans to implement its own unique take, other companies have been less sold on the technology. This week, an executive with PC maker Hewlett-Packard said that the company has decided for now to stick with USB 3.0 for its next-generation high-speed I/O technology.

Intel has said it views USB 3.0 and Thunderbolt as "complementary" to one another. The chipmaker has also encouraged developers to support both the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 standards with any external peripherals. The 5Gbps transfer speeds of USB 3.0 are half as fast as the 10Gbps throughput of Thunderbolt.

Goes with the name, I guess. Its an odd mix of power branding and marketing imo. But anyway, for me, the big issue is convenience. Less cable clutter. I want to see solutions which will make my desk look good and less like a plate of spagetti. Its getting better, slowly, but my monitor still has a big fat cable that goes to my MBP, with 3(!) connectors. It also has a big fat power cable and because I need the key pad - a usb cable to my keyboard. Oh, and a USB to my speakers. And a USB to my TM HD.

My dream would be one thin cable to my monitor. One thin cable to my MBP. Both these cables to an out of sight break-out box with power and legacy (inc usb) ports.

The chipmaker has also encouraged developers to support both the Thunderbolt and USB 3.0 standards with any external peripherals. The 5Gbps transfer speeds of USB 3.0 are half as fast as the 10Gbps throughput of Thunderbolt.

I don?t think it will be a big deal, at least not to us. Since it?s protocol independent and the USB port interface is ubiquotus it should be easy enough to connect to your Thunderbolt-capable peripherals with a simple adapter or cable from monoprice.com.

The USB-IF might have an issue with it, which is what I heard kept Intel from added it to the USB port interface thus having to go to Apple for an alternate solution.

IMHO, the trademark transfer has to do with making Thunderbolt more palatable to PC manufacturers. By removing Apple from the filing it makes it that much easier to pay the licensing fees. HP stated it wanted to stick with USB 3.0. Why? Because it's slower? No, b/c it doesn't want to pay a licensing fee to Apple (a competitor). Surprised Apple/Intel missed getting this right from the get-go...

IMHO, the trademark transfer has to do with making Thunderbolt more palatable to PC manufacturers. By removing Apple from the filing it makes it that much easier to pay the licensing fees. HP stated it wanted to stick with USB 3.0. Why? Because it's slower? No, b/c it doesn't want to pay a licensing fee to Apple (a competitor). Surprised Apple/Intel missed getting this right from the get-go...

Sony decision to use USB connector instead of mini display port would only messes with the public mind IMO. We already have headaches from figuring out which side USB tab is located when connecting the cables we don't want people to complain the transfer rate is slow because people connecting USB devices unknowingly on these thunderbolt-enabled connector. Go mend PSN properly first!

The funny thing about Sony is I don't think they ever set out to make proprietary technology. They are just so arrogant that they believe that they are creating the next "standard" and that everyone will adopt it simply because it is far superior. They have missed the mark almost every time since betamax but they keep trying hopping to have a winner. Kind of reminds me of Wile E. Coyote.